Magnolia Gold starts in January

  POPLARVILLE – A new military science program at Pearl River Community College will give students a headstart on a possible career as well as financial benefits.
  PRCC and the Mississippi Army National Guard are partnering in the Magnolia Gold program to re-establish a military leadership program at PRCC.
  “The benefit would be for somebody that is looking for a career in the military or if they don’t know if that’s what they want to do, it would given them a direction,” said SFC Jeff Yelverton, instructor. “You don’t have to be in the military to take the classes.”
  Students who take Magnolia Gold courses will be able to transfer the credits to Army ROTC programs if they transfer to four-year universities, he said.
  Foundations of Officership will be offered during the spring 2015 semester and students can enroll when PRCC opens Jan. 5 following the Christmas holidays.
  Magnolia Gold marks a return of the military to Pearl River, one of the first two-year colleges approved by the War Department in 1935 for ROTC.
  During World War II, all male students were required to be enrolled in ROTC and to wear their uniforms daily. Members of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps also wore uniforms every day.
  The program flourished at Pearl River until 1948 when it was transfered to the Mississippi National Guard.
  “For generations, Pearl River Community College has produced leaders in all walks of life,” said Dr. Adam Breerwood, vice president for Poplarville campus and Hancock Center. “We are thrilled to join forces with the Mississippi National Guard to offer our students another avenue to service and career fulfillment.”
  Magnolia Gold stands for Guard Officer Leadership Development and PRCC is one of only six community colleges participating in the program. Mississippi is only the fourth state in the country to make it available.
  Financial benefits for students include the GI bill and the State Education Assistance Program (SEAP).